NIGEL Farage has been heckled in Shetland and branded a "scrounger" while on a campaign visit.
In footage posted by Shetland News, an individual can be seen shouting at the leader in Lerwick on the mainland.
Farage arrived at Sumburgh Airport earlier this morning from Aberdeen and is expected to be leaving the islands on his private plane later today. He was in Aberdeen yesterday hosting a Reform UK rally alongside Scotland leader Malcolm Offord.
He was met with protests from Green representatives when he arrived, including the party’s constituency candidate Alex Armitage.
Filmed in the town's Market Cross, Farage can be heard saying: "Well, maybe we need some more people in politics to make money and then everybody be rich. How about that?"
An individual is seen responding: "More billionaires in politics? That's your ideas, more successful billionaires, scroungers like yourself? Scroungers."
Farage is seen waving his hand and walking away.
Another resident sent the below image to The National, writing of the visit: "It seems not all of the population are happy about it. I saw this along the road."
Reform will be represented in the Shetland constituency vote by Vic Currie.
Currie was born and raised in Edinburgh, before moving to Dundee for university.
He then went on to join the navy where he served in the North Sea, the Arctic and the Shetland/Faroe Islands gap for nine years.
In a BBC Shetland interview, he said: “We came into Shetland now and then with our aircraft to resupply things and built up a real affinity. Loved the island, loved the resilience of the people who live so far away from the main mainland and the extra mile you have to go to maintain that mainland standard of infrastructure and living. I had a great deal of respect for that.
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“The reason I’m standing in Shetland, sort of for two reasons. One, I wanted to live there. I want to move there, and I want to represent them and be a strong voice in parliament for them for everything that I’ve seen in the news about Shetland and its experience over the last decade or so.
“The energy crisis in 2022 is just one thing where some islanders were predicted energy prices of £10,000 a year”.
Commenting on Farage’s flying visit, Scottish LibDem candidate Emma Macdonald said: “Nigel Farage is welcome to visit Shetland the same as any tourist, but folk here will judge him on what he’s actually done for our islands.
“Farage was on the fisheries committee in Brussels for years and barely made an appearance - then when there was a big debate on the fishing industry in the UK Parliament, led by our own MP, not one Reform MP bothered to show up to contribute. Photo calls are the easy part, but Farage has not done much more than that.
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“In Shetland, we need more than headline visits from party leaders. We need people who will stand up for fishing day in, day out.
“Farage is visiting Shetland days after we learned that Russian submarines were taking a look at pipelines and cables in UK waters. Perhaps after Putin's covert assets failed, he decided to send his most 'overt' asset?
“Our communities need serious, consistent support, and a strong local voice that understands the reality here in Shetland - not more self-interested politicians who only turn up for the short term.”
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